News

Brotherhood of Skiing

08. March 2019

At a time when African Americans on the ski slopes were a rarity and black ski clubs were an exception, Ben Finley and Art Clay were not deterred from their vision to create a national Black Ski Summit. The two founders met in 1972 after being introduced by a mutual friend while Finley was President of the Four Seasons West Ski Club of Los Angeles and Clay was Trip Director of the Sno-Gophers Ski Club of Chicago. They moved forward with a proposal to bring together 13 black ski clubs for an event which was called “A Happening”, but was later changed to “Black Summit,” at the suggestion of a member of the Jim Dandy Ski Club of Detroit. The Black Summit would represent black skiers coming together at the summit of Ajax Mountain. The purpose was “to identify and discuss problems and subjects which were unique to the black skiing population, ski and socialize”, according to Finley.

Now the National Brotherhood of Skiers has come to represent everything good about snow sports and the people it attracts.

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